Pages

Monday, October 30, 2006

Thanks to Blue Plate at Table d'Hote, Alanna at A Veggie Venture, Ann at A Chicken In Every Granny Cart, and Riana at Garlic Breath for tagging me (weeks and weeks ago!) for a neat joint food project started by Melissa at The Traveler's Lunchbox. We're creating a list of food bloggers' top picks for things you've eaten and think that everyone should eat at least once in their life. Click here to read more about the project and check out the fascinating list of responses from around the world. (Nearly 1600 items and counting!)

My first set of answers came quickly. Like many other people, I thought of memorable meals and food-related moments I had enjoyed over the years, like High Tea at Harrod's department store in London. Or a hunk of Hula Pie for lunch (not dessert, but lunch) at the Kapalua Grill & Bar on Maui. Way too much breakfast (that had to include a pile of those signature home-fried potatoes and one of their enormous, freshly baked drop biscuits) in a booth on a crowded Sunday morning at Bubba's diner in San Anselmo, California. Black rice pudding at a table in the tropical garden of Poppy's Restaurant on Bali. A tiny taste cup of Cherry Garcia ice cream scooped right off the assembly line at the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont.

Then I changed my mind. I realized that all of these delicious memories were as much about the place as they were about the food itself. I once ate a perfectly recreated dish of that Balinese black rice pudding in a suburban Northern California kitchen, and it simply wasn't the same. So while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of these far flung delights (and doubt I would pass up the opportunity to experience them again myself), my new list is completely different--like my life is now. Less fuss, more flavor. It's all about the food. These five things will taste absolutely wonderful no matter where you are. Each one is a celebration in and of itself. I hope someday you'll have a chance to try them.

3. Homemade potato chips, preferably made with thin slices of freshly dug, organic red potatoes (scrubbed, not peeled), fried in homemade lard in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, and prepared by someone you adore who is willing to stand over a splattering pan of hot oil for an hour or two while you both devour batch after batch of warm, salted chips as soon as they are cool enough to touch. Serve with lots of laughs and plenty of iced tea or cold beer.

I like your list of eats. I have eaten every one of them, at one time or another, and had the champagne too. You are right, not to be missed on this earth.

It has been a few years since I have grown my own heirloom tomatoes though, you've got me to hankering. They are best sun-warmed off the homegrown vine. Now, where on earth can I buy just one Green Zebra seedling and one Brandywine seedling?

hmmm I must have done something wrong, My bread was almost too hard to enjoy but it is better without the hole from the beater in the machine,do apples straight of the tree count for something you grew yourself?

The Grill and Bar in Kapalua no longer exists. But don't worry. Pineapple Grill (which now occupies the space) has an even better (hard to believe but true)signature dessert; pineapple upside down cake. It is the best dessert I have ever had, and I loved the Grill and Bar's Hula Pie.

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!